Monday, September 30, 2013

On Sunday, news broke that the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs had assigned defenseman Dalton Thrower to the Vancouver Giants.

Thrower, who was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades in the off-season, is 20-years-old and brings an immediate veteran presence to the blue line for the G-Men. So much so, in fact, that the Giants decided to name him their team captain on Monday.

The North Vancouver native is expected to make his debut for the G-Men on Friday evening in Brandon against the Wheat Kings.

The Vancouver Giants named defenceman Dalton Thrower their new captain today, making him the 13th captain in franchise history.Thrower, who was drafted 51st overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 National Hockey League Draft, was assigned to the Giants by the Hamilton Bulldogs on Sunday.The North Vancouver native was acquired by the Giants in the off-season from the Saskatoon Blades and had 27 points (6 goals, 21 assists) in 54 games with the Blades last season."It's a huge honour," said the Giants' newest captain. "I grew up watching the Giants, and to come here and be named captain was something I never would have thought of. But I'm going to take it and roll with it and do what I can to help this team in every way."Hear Thrower's reaction to being named captain HERE.Listen to what Thrower has to say about his experience in the NHL and AHL HERE and his thoughts on the Giants HERE.

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Vancouver Giants fell to 1-3 on the season, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Everett Silvertips at the Rink on Renfrew. Anthony Ast had the lone goal for the G-Men while Carson Stadnyk and Mirco Mueller each had two points for Everett.

The Giants came out flying with a jump in their step, looking to make amends for Wednesday's loss. Vancouver had some good zone time in the opening frame and a couple of solid scoring chances. The momentum turned when Patrick Bajkov forced a turnover at the Giants' blue line and had a great opportunity down the right wing. Payton Lee made a good save on the play, but Everett built off the chance and opened the scoring moments later as Manraj Hayer beat Lee from the bottom of the right circle. Cain Franson nearly equalized for Vancouver mere seconds after the opening goal when he was sprung in alone, but 'Tips goalie Daniel Cotton made a nice left pad save to keep Everett ahead.

Joshua Winquist extended the Silvertips' lead early in the second period when he completed a nice passing play by tucking the puck into a wide open net. Despite giving up an early goal, the Giants weren't deterred, and the G-Men had a number of golden chances. Franson drove the net and had his scoring attempt bounce off the post and out while Jackson Houck saw his shot in the slot hit an errant stick, and Brett Kulak wired a hard point shot off the cross-bar. Finally, Vancouver broke through late in the frame when Ast got his stick on an Arvin Atwal slap shot to tip it past Cotton. Ast now has two goals on the year. Houck nearly tied the game in the final minute of the second when he missed wide of a yawning cage after a juicy rebound came right to him.

The 'Tips regained the two goal lead just 20 seconds into the final period when Stadnyk rippled the mesh from the top of the crease. Vancouver had some more opportunities in the third as Franson, Andreas Eder, Ty Ronning and Carter Popoff all came close to scoring but couldn't find the necessary offense. Kohl Bauml would add to Everett's lead with a shorthanded marker later in the period to complete the scoring on the night.

The Giants will head out on the road for six games on the prairies beginning on Friday, October 4th in Brandon against the Wheat Kings. Hear the game on TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca. Pre-Game gets underway at 5:00pm followed by the puck drop at 5:30.

The Vancouver Giants host the Everett Silvertips on Friday night at the Pacific Coliseum in the first of six match-ups between the two teams this season. Last year, the 'Tips won five of the six meetings with the G-Men with Vancouver's only win coming by a score of 1-0 in overtime on March 3rd.

Vancouver is coming off a humbling 6-0 loss at the hands of the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night. Seattle's top line of Branden Troock, Connor Honey and Alexander Delnov combined for 11 points in the game. The Giants' penalty kill has been strong through three games as the Vancouver club has only given up one goal on 11 opportunities and sits in sixth in the WHL on the PK. The G-Men are still looking for goals from forwards Jackson Houck and Cain Franson who finished in first and second on the team in scoring last season.

The Silvertips have only played one game this season as they picked up a convincing 8-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars last Saturday. Joshua Winquist had a hat-trick for Everett while Dawson Leedahl chipped in with two goals and an assist. There are a number of local products on the Everett roster as Jujhar Khaira, Manraj Hayer, Tyler Sandhu, Brayden Low, Noah Juulsen, Austin Adam, Mitch Skapski and Daniel Cotton are all from the Greater Vancouver area.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

With nine defenseman on the Giants' roster and the potential return of Dalton Thrower from the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, it comes as no surprise that a blue liner has been shipped out by GM Scott Bonner.

17-year-old Jake Kohlhauser was traded to the Victoria Royals on Thursday in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2015 Bantam Draft. Kohlhauser appeared in just three regular season games for the G-Men including Wednesday's 6-0 loss at the hands of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Here's the full release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants have traded 17 year-old defenceman Jake Kohlhauser to the Victoria Royals in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2015 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. The Giants will receive a fourth-round pick in the 2015 Bantam Draft unless Kohlhauser plays more than 50 games in the 2014/2015 season in which the Giants will receive a third-round pick in the 2015 Draft. The 6'0",170lbs defenceman was drafted by the Giants in the second-round of the 2011 Bantam Draft.
Kohlhauser played midget with the St. Albert Raiders Midget AAA of the Alberta Midget Hockey League last season where he had 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 29 games.
Here's the full release from the Royals:

The Victoria Royals are pleased to announce that the club has acquired 1996-born defenceman Jake Kohlhauser (coal-how-zer) from the Vancouver Giants in exchange for a conditional draft pick.Kohlhauser joins the Royals after starting the 2013-14 season with the Giants. The 6-0, 185 rearguard suited up for the St. Albert Raiders Midget AAA squad last year where he registered five points (1g-4a) in 29 games of regular season play. In the post-season, Kohlhauser notched three points (1g-2a) in four games for the Raiders.Drafted by Vancouver in the second round, 30th overall, of the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, Kohlhauser spent the 2011-12 season with the St. Albert Flyers Minor Midget AAA team. TheSt. Albert,AB native recorded 18 points (4g-14a) through 35 games with the Flyers.Kohlhauser dressed for the St. Albert Sabres in his 2010-11 bantam hockey season where he posted 11 points (4g-7a) in 33 games played. Kohlhauser was also named the captain of the Northwest Sharks at the 2011 Alberta Cup in which the defenceman put up a goal and an assist through five games of tournament play.
Kohlhauser's Stats: